Reader mode for presentation slides in a cloud collaboration platform

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein are system, method, and computer program product embodiments for improving user experiences within a cloud collaboration platform that integrates communication tools with word processor functions to enhance workflows, save time, and promote teamwork in the development of slide presentations. To improve usability, a cloud collaboration platform may furnish a reader mode to streamline the presentation review process. The reader mode may allow viewers to review the presentation as the presentation will eventually be presented to an audience. The viewers may provide comments and feedback on the presentation without being inundated with comments and metadata added to an edit mode of the presentation by the original authors.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Non-Provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 16/264,041, filed Jan. 31, 2019, which claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62/733,075, by Li, etal., “User Experience Improvements For The Development Of PresentationSlides In A Cloud Collaboration Platform,” filed Sep. 18, 2018, U.S.Provisional Patent Application 62/735,746, by Chung, et al., “ReaderMode and Insights for Presentation Slides in a Cloud CollaborationPlatform,” filed Sep. 24, 2018, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application62/735,731, by Chung, et al., “Slide Grid Snapping and Comment AnywhereFor Presentation Slides In a Cloud Collaboration Platform,” filed Sep.24, 2018, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

A cloud collaboration platform may allow users to author various formsof content, for example, text files, spreadsheets, presentation slides,and other documents. The cloud collaboration platform may furnish alitany of word processing tools to facilitate document creation andrevision. An author may also communicate with other users on the cloudcollaboration platform, share documents, and receive comments,suggestions, edits, and other feedback. By integrating communicationtools with word processor tools, a cloud collaboration platform mayenhance workflows, save time, and promote teamwork.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a partof the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosureand, together with the description, further serve to explain theprinciples of the disclosure and to enable a person skilled in theart(s) to make and use the embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an example system includinga cloud collaboration platform, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 2 is an example screen display of a cloud collaboration platformfor developing presentation slides in edit mode, according to someembodiments.

FIG. 3 is an example screen display of a cloud collaboration platformfor presentation slides in reader mode, according to some embodiments.

FIGS. 4A-4B are example screen displays of shareable user links,according to some embodiments.

FIG. 5 is an example screen display of exemplary user prompts, accordingto some embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of displaying a reader modein a cloud collaboration platform, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of creating a reader link ina cloud collaboration platform, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 8 is an example computer system useful for implementing variousembodiments.

In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical orsimilar elements. Additionally, generally, the left-most digit(s) of areference number identifies the drawing in which the reference numberfirst appears.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Provided herein are system, apparatus, device, method and/or computerprogram product embodiments, and/or combinations and sub-combinationsthereof, for providing a reader mode within a cloud collaborationplatform.

A cloud collaboration platform may allow multiple users to work togetherto design, write, implement, edit, and finalize various forms ofcontent. Such content may be text files, spreadsheets, presentationslides, videos, audio files, or any other suitable documents. A cloudcollaboration platform may include word processing and editing tools tocreate, compose, draft, and revise these files. A cloud collaborationplatform may include a versioning system to dynamically track changesmade to documents over time.

A cloud collaboration platform may encourage collaboration among usersby allowing users to send other users messages, include comments in oron documents, post to message boards, solicit feedback, and engage inother suitable communications. Some comments in a cloud collaborationplatform may be viewable by all users while other comments may beuser-specific and only viewable by a subset of the users. Comments maytag, link, @mention, and/or reference other users, documents, andmaterials. Users may also post feedback stickers, i.e., prompts viawhich users can receive information from other users, conduct polls,receive text answers to questions, etc.

A cloud collaboration platform may incorporate various permissions andaccess controls. For example, a cloud collaboration platform may allowusers to set access permissions to documents. In an embodiment, adocument's author may control whether other users may edit or view thedocument, comment on the document, share the document, etc. An authormay set access permissions on a per-user, i.e., grant access to only oneuser or a subset of users, and/or per-document basis, i.e., configure adifferent set of access permissions for each file in the cloudcollaboration platform.

A cloud collaboration platform may allow users to create presentationslides. Users may collaborate to build content, edit, and finalize theslide presentation. By coupling word processing and communication toolstogether within the slide design process, users may save time that wouldotherwise be lost in meetings or wasted incorporating third-partycommunication and editing tools. For example, a user may add a new slideto a presentation and edit the slide directly in the cloud collaborationplatform by adding images, text, video, sound, setting backgroundcolors, etc. A second author may edit the slide presentation further,add a second new slide, add comments to the slide presentation, raisequestions, provide feedback, etc.

As authors collaborate in the creation of the presentation slides, thenumber of comments exchanged may grow quite large. Authors may furthertrack changes and include various other types of metadata in the slidepresentation, and this supporting information may also accumulate overtime. At some point, the original authors may demo the presentationslides to a second set of users, outside of the original author group,to garner additional feedback to further polish the presentation or todeliver the finalize presentation to the intended audience (and receivefeedback from the audience on the presentation). If all of the comments,edits, and other metadata from the original authors appear to the newlyadded users during the demonstration, the new users may not be able toview the presentation in an organic fashion, i.e., as the presentationwould be received by an audience. Moreover, any comments added by thenew users may be lost amidst the mass of comments and metadata thataccumulated during the initial authoring phase.

Accordingly, a need exists to provide a reader mode within a cloudcollaboration platform.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an example system 100including a cloud collaboration platform, according to some embodiments.System 100 may include users 102, such as users 102A and 102B, devices104, such as devices 104A and 104B, cloud collaboration platform 110.

Users 102 may be individuals or entities developing documents on a cloudcollaboration platform. Users 102 may members of a business,organization, or other suitable group using the cloud collaborationplatform to perform tasks related to that business or organization. Orusers 102 may be individuals using a cloud collaboration platform forpersonal pursuits. Users 102 may be human beings, but users 102 may alsobe artificial intelligence constructs. Users 102 may employ, i.e.,connect to, a network or combination of networks including the Internet,a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wirelessnetwork, a cellular network, or various other types of networks as wouldbe appreciated by a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Devices 104 may be personal digital assistants, desktop workstations,laptops or notebook computers, netbooks, tablets, smart phones, mobilephones, smart watches or other wearables, appliances, part of theInternet-of-Things, and/or embedded systems, to name a few non-limitingexamples, or any combination thereof Although devices 104 areillustrated in the example of FIG. 1 as a single computer, one skilledin the art(s) will understand that devices 104 may represent two or morecomputers in communication with one another. Therefore, it will also beappreciated that any two or more components of system 100 may similarlybe executed using some or all of the two or more computers incommunication with one another.

Cloud collaboration platform 110 may combine word processing tools withcommunication tools to enhance teamwork and collaboration among multipleusers in building, editing, and finalizing text files, documents,spreadsheets, presentation slides, and other files. Users maycollaborate to build content, edit, and finalize the slide presentation.Cloud collaboration platform 110 may include interface elements 112,access controls 114, search module 116, input receiver 118, and data120.

Cloud collaboration platform 110 may provide an interface for designingthe presentation slides, including appropriate tools and relatedfunctionalities. Such an interface may be referred to herein as an editmode. Users 102 may access the edit mode to add new slides, add images,text, video, and sound, set background colors, etc. A subset of users102 may be given access to the slide presentation via the edit mode.

Cloud collaboration platform 110 may provide a second, streamlinedinterface for reviewing, commenting on, and responding to presentationslides authored by other users. This streamlined interface may bereferred to as a reader mode. The reader mode may include comments fromreaders while hiding comments from authors, i.e., comments made in theedit mode. In this fashion, a user employing the reader mode may avoidviewing comments that occurred during the initial authoring of thepresentation slides. The reader mode may include an edit button to allowa user with edit access to transition out of reader mode and into editmode. The reader mode may include buttons or other navigational controlsto progress through slides, switch to a full screen mode, download a pdfof the slides, print the presentation, and perform other relevantfunctions. In an embodiment, users 102 may be able to add comments,respond to feedback stickers, etc. to the presentation slides in thereader mode view without seeing comments and suggestions from otherusers.

Interface elements 112 may provide components that allow cloudcollaboration platform 110 to render a user interface for view by users102 on devices 104. Interface elements 112 may include a JavaScriptlibrary or other user interface library to facilitate dynamicinteractions between users 102 and cloud collaboration platform 110.Interface elements 112 may include a development toolkit facilitatingthe building and deployment of HTML5 applications or mobileapplications. Interface elements 112 may include appropriate stylesheetsand design formats to shape, for example, the display format of dataretrieved by cloud collaboration platform 110.

Access controls 114 may control permissions and access to and/or withincloud collaboration platform 110. Access controls 114 may authorizeconnections to cloud collaboration platform 110 and/or documents thereinusing username/password combinations. In some embodiments, accesscontrols 114 may employ an alternate authentication methodology, such astwo-factor authentication, token authentication, biometric data, etc.,to identify, authorize, encrypt, and account for user connections. Thelevel of access granted to a user may vary depending on the user type;therefore, the functionality provided to users may differ depending onthe user accessing the system. Access controls 114 may additionallytrack access to files among users 102. For example, access controls 114may store information indicating that a particular user may access aparticular document and an access level.

Search module 116 may allow users 102 to search for other users,documents, files, or materials within cloud collaboration platform 110.Search module 116 may employ a suitable search tool or indicator toreceive an input from users 102. Search module 116 may use anappropriate cataloging methodology to store previous messages, comments,edits, etc. and retrieve appropriate information via full-text searches.Search module 116 may support mentions, i.e., the use of “@” or “#”, toretrieve appropriate documents or users that satisfy the searches fromusers 102.

Input receiver 118 may receive and process inputs from users 102 withincloud collaboration platform 110. Input receiver 118 may receive inputsfrom any suitable mechanism including: a mouse, a keyboard, stylus,input gesture, or other suitable mechanism for expressing a userintentions. User inputs may include entering text, drawing checkmarks,circles, squares, lines, and other geographic symbols, swiping,clicking, tapping, dragging, and other gestures. Input receiver may useinterface elements 112 to display appropriate navigational buttons,input forms, and other HTML, fields to facilitate interaction with cloudcollaboration platform 110.

Data 120 may be a storage of information relevant to the documents,messages, comments, and other information in cloud collaborationplatform 110. Data 120 may be housed or stored in a relational database,a NoSQL database or other horizontally scaling database, a digitalledger technology or blockchain, or any other suitable storagemechanism. For instance, cloud collaboration platform 110 may harnessany commercially available database management system to store andretrieve data 120. In an embodiment, data 120 may be stored in acentralized storage area network (SAN), network-attached storage (NAS),redundant array of independent disks, and/or any other configuration ofstorage devices to supply sufficient storage capacity to store databasetables and supporting structures. Sufficient storage may alternativelyexist in any other physically attached magnetic storage, cloud storage,or additional storage medium. In an embodiment, cloud collaborationplatform 110 deploys a hard-disk interface, such as ATA, SATA, SCSI,SAS, and/or fibre for interfacing with storage mediums housing data 120.

FIG. 2 is an example of a screen display 200 in a cloud collaborationplatform for developing presentation slides in an edit mode, accordingto some embodiments. The screen display provided in FIG. 2 is merelyexemplary, and one skilled in the relevant art(s) will appreciate thatmany approaches may be taken to provide a suitable screen display 200 inaccordance with this disclosure. Screen display 200 may include editorscreen 202, slides 204, slide-building tools 206, and commentingfacilities 208.

Editor screen 202 may display a slide presentation for users 102. Editorscreen 202 may include tools to add slides, rearrange slides, andcontrol the overall flow of the slide presentation. Editor screen 202may provide tools to add text, images, audio/video components to aparticular slide and position the elements appropriately. Editor screen202 may allow users to select colors, change fonts, etc. Editor screen202 may allow users 102 to scroll to other slides in a single view asopposed to displaying only one slide at a time.

Slides 204 may display a graphical representation of the slidescomprising the slide presentation. Slides 204 may be thumbnails, i.e., asmaller resolution image, of the visual components contained in theslides. In an alternate embodiment, slides 204 may be textual,numerical, or another suitable representation of the slides in thepresentation. In an embodiment, users 102 may click or otherwise inputupon a particular slide in slides 204 to navigate the edit mode to viewthat particular slide.

Slide-building tools 206 may include components that allow users 102 toedit the slides in the edit mode. Slide-building tools 206 may includeitems that allow a user to add text, images, audio/video components,etc. Slide-building tools 206 may allow users to select colors, changefonts, etc. Slide-building tools 206 may allow users 102 to change fontcharacteristics, adjust paragraph settings, etc.

Commenting facilities 208 may allow users 102 to view comments that theyentered in cloud collaboration platform 110, replies to these comments,and comments from other users 102 within screen display 200. In anembodiment, users 102 may edit or delete comments in commentingfacilities 208. In an embodiment, commenting facilities 208 may displaycomments in chronological order. However, other suitable organizationalapproaches may apply. Commenting facilities 208 may filter the commentsdisplayed therein in additional fashions. In some embodiments,commenting facilities 208 may allow users to “like” comments from otherusers, attach files, @mention users, and perform other suitablecommunicative activities.

FIG. 3 is an example of a screen display 300 in a cloud collaborationplatform for presentation slides in reader mode, according to someembodiments. The screen display provided in FIG. 3 is merely exemplary,and one skilled in the relevant art(s) will appreciate that manyapproaches may be taken to provide a suitable screen display 300 inaccordance with this disclosure. Screen display 300 may include viewport302, navigation controls 304, and comments 306.

Viewport 302 may include slide layers, sections, and comments forreview. Viewport 302 may present the slide presentation as thepresentation may be received by an audience, i.e., without any designingtools, metadata, or other clutter. For example, users 102 viewing aslide presentation in reader mode may see only the slide components(e.g., text, images, multi-media files, the title) and comments fromother readers (as opposed to authors or creators) in viewport 302. In analternate embodiment, viewport 302 may only include comments from thereviewing user. In this manner, viewport 302 displays the slidepresentation in a way that does not obscure any slide content, but stillallows the reviewing user to provide feedback and comments. When a userenters a reader comment, editors in edit mode may see the reader commentalongside the editor comments.

Navigation controls 304 may receive inputs from users 102 and visualelements to provide visual cues to users 102 and to support thereception of the inputs. Navigation controls 304 may include a printbutton that allows users to print the contents of the slide or thepresentation. Navigation controls 304 may include a comment button thatallows a user to add a comment. In an embodiment, viewport 302 may beswitched to a full screen mode that displays only the slide contentwhile obscuring or hiding any navigation buttons and/or comments usingnavigation controls 304.

Comments 306, such as comments 306A and 306B, may be comments receivedfrom users 102 while users 102 are viewing the reader mode. Comments 306may be associated through a suitable means with a visual element orsection within the slide being viewed. Comments 306 may display inviewport 302 on top, near to, pointing to, etc. the section that thecomment is associated with. In an embodiment, comments 306 may display anumber that indicates a number of comments associated with the sectionor element, i.e., the number of comments exchanged or posted to thespecific comment in question. In the example provided in FIG. 3, comment306A displays a “3” indicating that three comments were made about thepie chart and comment 306B displays a “2” indicating that two commentswere made about the “Data Stability and Reliability” element. As a usermay comment multiple times about an element, the number may display allof the users comments about the element. However, other users may postreplies to the comment or comment on the same element, and thesecomments may also be included in the displayed number. In an embodiment,comments from the edit mode may not display in the reader mode tofurther a more organic viewing experience for users 102 viewing thereader mode.

Comments 306 may incorporate additional comments added by users 102. Inone embodiment, users 102 may use navigation controls 304 to select anoption to add a comment. In screen display 300, users 102 may click orotherwise input upon “Add Comment.” Users 102 may then drag, move,slide, etc. a comments icon, such as displayed in comment 306A to 306Bto a particular element on the screen display. An element in thiscontext may be an image, a block of text, etc. Users 102 may also beable to add comments that are associated with the entire slide. Whenusers 102 select a location for the comment, the users may then entertext into the comment field through a suitable comment enteringmechanism. One such example is described with reference to FIG. 2 ascommenting facilities 208. When users 102 enter the new comment, users102 may leverage a panoply of features provided by search module 116,e.g., @mentions, linking of documents, and references to other materialsin the cloud collaboration platform 110. When the new comment is added,cloud collaboration platform 110 may store the comment in associationwith the particular element that users 102 indicated the comment shouldbe associated with.

Moreover, comments 306 received in the reader mode may be segregatedfrom comments 306 received in the edit mode. Thus, users 102 with accessto the reader mode only may only view comments added from other users inthe reader mode. Users 102 with access to the edit mode may viewcomments received from the reader mode and the edit mode. In someembodiments, access to the reader mode and/or edit mode comments may beset by permissions. In some embodiments, filtering mechanisms may beprovided to allow users 102 to filter the comments that they may view toedit-mode comments and reader-mode comments.

FIG. 4A is an example of a screen display 400A in a cloud collaborationplatform including a shareable link, according to some embodiments. Thescreen display provided in FIG. 4A is merely exemplary, and one skilledin the relevant art(s) will appreciate that many approaches may be takento provide a suitable screen display 400 in accordance with thisdisclosure. Screen display 400A may include shareable link 402 andoptions 404.

FIG. 4B is an example of a screen display 400A in a cloud collaborationplatform including a shareable link, according to some embodiments. Thescreen display provided in FIG. 4B is merely exemplary, and one skilledin the relevant art(s) will appreciate that many approaches may be takento provide a suitable screen display 400 in accordance with thisdisclosure. Screen display 400B may also include shareable link 402 andoptions 404.

Shareable link 402 may provide a link via which users 102 may distributea reader mode of a slide presentation. Such a reader link may be ashareable link to the slide presentation, e.g., using HTTP, HTTPS, orother suitable protocol. Upon opening the link, a user may see onlyreader comments and the elements of the presentation, as described abovewith reference to FIG. 3. Comments made during the authoring of thepresentation may be hidden from the user. Shareable link 402 may becreated by engaging with reader mode or edit mode in a suitable fashion,for example, engaging input receiver 118 via navigation controls 304 orother input receiver in editor screen 202.

Options 404 may be selectable details, parameters, and configurationsfor shareable link 402. In the exemplary embodiment displayed in FIG. 4,a user may select “Show comments and allow new ones,” “Reader Link,”“Disable,” and “View & Edit.” The “Reader Link” may allow a user toenter a reader-link selection or an edit-link selection. A reader-linkselection may cause a subsequent link that is created to be a link tothe reader mode whereas an edit-link selection may cause a subsequentlink that is created to be a link to the edit mode. A link created with“Allow readers to add comments and feedback” may display all comments,regardless of whether the comment was received in edit mode or readermode. “View & Edit” may allow a user receiving the link to access theedit mode. These are illustrative examples and are in no way exhaustive.

FIG. 5 is an example of a screen display 500 of exemplary user prompts,i.e., feedback stickers, according to some embodiments. The screendisplay provided in FIG. 5 is merely exemplary, and one skilled in therelevant art(s) will appreciate that many approaches may be taken toprovide a suitable screen display 500 in accordance with thisdisclosure. Screen display 500 may include poll 502 and question 504.Users 102 in cloud collaboration platform 110 may include stickers andprompts within slides and comments. In an embodiment, a sticker orprompt may be a mechanism via which users can solicit and receiveinformation from other users. For example, a user may conduct polls,receive text answers to questions, and garner other types of feedback.

Poll 502 may be an example of one fashion of garnering user feedbackwithin a slide, message, or comment. Poll 502 may include a question orstatement and a set of selections. When posted, poll 502 may record thevotes or inputs from users 102 and display the collected feedback inpoll 502. In cloud collaboration platform 110, poll 502 may be imbeddedin a slide or presentation. In some embodiments, poll 502 may also beembedded in a message, comment, or in other suitable locations.

Question 504 may be a second example of an approach to receiving userfeedback. Question 504 may include a question or statement and an inputfield. When posted, question 504 may record inputs from users 102 andprovide the responses in an appropriate fashion to the user that createdthe question. Question 504 may be imbedded in a slide or presentation.In some embodiments, question 504 may also be embedded in a message,comment, or in other suitable locations.

FIG. 6 illustrates a method 600 of displaying a reader mode in a cloudcollaboration platform, according to some embodiments. Method 600 can beperformed by processing logic that can comprise hardware (e.g.,circuitry, dedicated logic, programmable logic, microcode, etc.),software (e.g., instructions executing on a processing device), or acombination thereof. It is to be appreciated that not all steps may beneeded to perform the disclosure provided herein. Further, some of thesteps may be performed simultaneously, or in a different order thanshown in FIG. 6, as will be understood by a person of ordinary skill inthe art(s).

In 602, cloud collaboration platform 110 may determine the mode to enterwhen initializing or commencing a slide presentation. Cloudcollaboration platform 110 may employ interface elements 112 to render auser interface by which to receive an indication to enter reader mode oredit mode. Cloud collaboration platform 110 may receive a request toenter reader mode via a reader link or edit link.

In 604, cloud collaboration platform 110 may determine if a reader modeis being initialized. If yes, then method 600 may proceed to 608. If no,then method 600 may proceed to 610.

In 606, cloud collaboration platform 110 may display an edit mode of aslide presentation. An edit mode may include the full range of editorcapabilities provided the user is the author or otherwise has permissionto edit the document. The edit mode may include all comments from allusers or a subset thereof. Cloud collaboration platform may employaccess controls 114 to ensure that the user initializing the edit modepossesses appropriate credentials to enter the edit mode. The edit modeis described in further detail above with reference to FIG. 2.

In 608, cloud collaboration platform 110 may load data needed to renderthe reader mode of the slide presentation from data 120 or anothersuitable location. Cloud collaboration platform 110 may load images,text, multi-media files, formatting information, colors, and otherinformation needed to render the slides in the presentation. Cloudcollaboration platform 110 may also pull from data 120 all comments,messages, or feedback stickers/surveys, or an appropriate subsetthereof.

In 610, cloud collaboration platform 110 may render the reader view anddisplay reader-mode comments. In one embodiment, reader-mode commentsare comments entered by users 102 while in reader mode. In anotherembodiment, cloud collaboration platform 110 may only display commentsentered by the viewing user and responses to those comments. In oneembodiment, cloud collaboration platform 110 may not load edit-modecomments or other information that is outside the scope of the readerview. In another embodiment, cloud collaboration platform 110 mayexpressly hide editor comments, tracked changes, notes, or other users'comments. An exemplary version of such a reader mode is describedfurther above with reference to FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 illustrates a method 700 of creating a link to a reader mode in acloud collaboration platform, according to some embodiments. Method 700can be performed by processing logic that can comprise hardware (e.g.,circuitry, dedicated logic, programmable logic, microcode, etc.),software (e.g., instructions executing on a processing device), or acombination thereof. It is to be appreciated that not all steps may beneeded to perform the disclosure provided herein. Further, some of thesteps may be performed simultaneously, or in a different order thanshown in FIG. 7, as will be understood by a person of ordinary skill inthe art(s).

In 702, cloud collaboration platform 110 may determine options selectedby the creating user. Such options may include permissions to the readermode such as advanced edit access, tiered-user access, etc. Cloudcollaboration platform 110 may also receive information about a user orsubset of users, i.e., a targeted reader link. These options aredescribed as options 404 with reference to FIGS. 4A-4B.

In 704, cloud collaboration platform 110 may create a link. Cloudcollaboration platform 110 may use any suitable linking mechanism orprotocol, for example HTTP or HTTPS. Cloud collaboration platform 110may store or catalog the information about the created link in data 120.

In 706, cloud collaboration platform 110 may share the link with anappropriate user or subset of users. In an embodiment, cloudcollaboration platform 110 may transmit the link to the user through aninternal messaging system. Cloud collaboration platform 110 may alsotransmit the link through an email or other external messaging system.Cloud collaboration platform 110 may allow the creating user to copy thelink to their local clipboard or cache so that they can share the linkwith an appropriate user or users.

In 708, cloud collaboration platform 110 receives an incomingtransmission, i.e., web-based hit to the link. Cloud collaborationplatform 110 may employ access controls 114 to ensure that theinitializing user has access permission to the reader mode. Cloudcollaboration platform 110 may render then appropriate reader mode forthe initializing user, a process described in further detail above withreference to FIG. 6. The reader mode may include a streamlined set ofcomponents from the slide presentation as well as facilities to allowthe reader-mode viewing user to add reader comments. Editor comments,i.e., comments added by users during the editing process, may be hiddenfrom users 102 viewing the reader mode.

Various embodiments may be implemented, for example, using one or morewell-known computer systems, such as computer system 800 shown in FIG.8. One or more computer systems 800 may be used, for example, toimplement any of the embodiments discussed herein, as well ascombinations and sub-combinations thereof.

Computer system 800 may include one or more processors (also calledcentral processing units, or CPUs), such as a processor 804. Processor804 may be connected to a communication infrastructure or bus 806.

Computer system 800 may also include user input/output device(s) 808,such as monitors, keyboards, pointing devices, etc., which maycommunicate with communication infrastructure 806 through userinput/output interface(s) 802.

One or more of processors 804 may be a graphics processing unit (GPU).In an embodiment, a GPU may be a processor that is a specializedelectronic circuit designed to process mathematically intensiveapplications. The GPU may have a parallel structure that is efficientfor parallel processing of large blocks of data, such as mathematicallyintensive data common to computer graphics applications, images, videos,etc.

Computer system 800 may also include a main or primary memory 808, suchas random access memory (RAM). Main memory 808 may include one or morelevels of cache. Main memory 808 may have stored therein control logic(i.e., computer software) and/or data.

Computer system 800 may also include one or more secondary storagedevices or memory 810. Secondary memory 810 may include, for example, ahard disk drive 812 and/or a removable storage device or drive 814.Removable storage drive 814 may be a floppy disk drive, a magnetic tapedrive, a compact disk drive, an optical storage device, tape backupdevice, and/or any other storage device/drive.

Removable storage drive 814 may interact with a removable storage unit818. Removable storage unit 818 may include a computer usable orreadable storage device having stored thereon computer software (controllogic) and/or data. Removable storage unit 818 may be a floppy disk,magnetic tape, compact disk, DVD, optical storage disk, and/ any othercomputer data storage device. Removable storage drive 814 may read fromand/or write to removable storage unit 818.

Secondary memory 810 may include other means, devices, components,instrumentalities or other approaches for allowing computer programsand/or other instructions and/or data to be accessed by computer system800. Such means, devices, components, instrumentalities or otherapproaches may include, for example, a removable storage unit 822 and aninterface 820. Examples of the removable storage unit 822 and theinterface 820 may include a program cartridge and cartridge interface(such as that found in video game devices), a removable memory chip(such as an EPROM or PROM) and associated socket, a memory stick and USBport, a memory card and associated memory card slot, and/or any otherremovable storage unit and associated interface.

Computer system 800 may further include a communication or networkinterface 824. Communication interface 824 may enable computer system800 to communicate and interact with any combination of externaldevices, external networks, external entities, etc. (individually andcollectively referenced by reference number 828). For example,communication interface 824 may allow computer system 800 to communicatewith external or remote devices 828 over communications path 826, whichmay be wired and/or wireless (or a combination thereof), and which mayinclude any combination of LANs, WANs, the Internet, etc. Control logicand/or data may be transmitted to and from computer system 800 viacommunication path 826.

Computer system 800 may also be any of a personal digital assistant(PDA), desktop workstation, laptop or notebook computer, netbook,tablet, smart phone, smart watch or other wearable, appliance, part ofthe Internet-of-Things, and/or embedded system, to name a fewnon-limiting examples, or any combination thereof.

Computer system 800 may be a client or server, accessing or hosting anyapplications and/or data through any delivery paradigm, including butnot limited to remote or distributed cloud computing solutions; local oron-premises software (“on-premise” cloud-based solutions); “as aservice” models (e.g., content as a service (CaaS), digital content as aservice (DCaaS), software as a service (SaaS), managed software as aservice (MSaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), desktop as a service(DaaS), framework as a service (FaaS), backend as a service (BaaS),mobile backend as a service (MBaaS), infrastructure as a service (IaaS),etc.); and/or a hybrid model including any combination of the foregoingexamples or other services or delivery paradigms.

Any applicable data structures, file formats, and schemas in computersystem 800 may be derived from standards including but not limited toJavaScript Object Notation (JSON), Extensible Markup Language (XML), YetAnother Markup Language (YAML), Extensible Hypertext Markup Language(XHTML), Wireless Markup Language (WML), MessagePack, XML User InterfaceLanguage (XUL), or any other functionally similar representations aloneor in combination. Alternatively, proprietary data structures, formatsor schemas may be used, either exclusively or in combination with knownor open standards.

In some embodiments, a tangible, non-transitory apparatus or article ofmanufacture comprising a tangible, non-transitory computer useable orreadable medium having control logic (software) stored thereon may alsobe referred to herein as a computer program product or program storagedevice. This includes, but is not limited to, computer system 800, mainmemory 808, secondary memory 810, and removable storage units 818 and822, as well as tangible articles of manufacture embodying anycombination of the foregoing. Such control logic, when executed by oneor more data processing devices (such as computer system 800), may causesuch data processing devices to operate as described herein.

Based on the teachings contained in this disclosure, it will be apparentto persons skilled in the relevant art(s) how to make and useembodiments of this disclosure using data processing devices, computersystems and/or computer architectures other than that shown in FIG. 8.In particular, embodiments can operate with software, hardware, and/oroperating system implementations other than those described herein.

It is to be appreciated that the Detailed Description section, and notany other section, is intended to be used to interpret the claims. Othersections can set forth one or more but not all exemplary embodiments ascontemplated by the inventor(s), and thus, are not intended to limitthis disclosure or the appended claims in any way.

While this disclosure describes exemplary embodiments for exemplaryfields and applications, it should be understood that the disclosure isnot limited thereto. Other embodiments and modifications thereto arepossible, and are within the scope and spirit of this disclosure. Forexample, and without limiting the generality of this paragraph,embodiments are not limited to the software, hardware, firmware, and/orentities illustrated in the figures and/or described herein. Further,embodiments (whether or not explicitly described herein) havesignificant utility to fields and applications beyond the examplesdescribed herein.

Embodiments have been described herein with the aid of functionalbuilding blocks illustrating the implementation of specified functionsand relationships thereof. The boundaries of these functional buildingblocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of thedescription. Alternate boundaries can be defined as long as thespecified functions and relationships (or equivalents thereof) areappropriately performed. Also, alternative embodiments can performfunctional blocks, steps, operations, methods, etc. using orderingsdifferent than those described herein.

References herein to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “an exampleembodiment,” or similar phrases, indicate that the embodiment describedcan include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, butevery embodiment can not necessarily include the particular feature,structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarilyreferring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature,structure, or characteristic is described in connection with anembodiment, it would be within the knowledge of persons skilled in therelevant art(s) to incorporate such feature, structure, orcharacteristic into other embodiments whether or not explicitlymentioned or described herein. Additionally, some embodiments can bedescribed using the expression “coupled” and “connected” along withtheir derivatives. These terms are not necessarily intended as synonymsfor each other. For example, some embodiments can be described using theterms “connected” and/or “coupled” to indicate that two or more elementsare in direct physical or electrical contact with each other. The term“coupled,” however, can also mean that two or more elements are not indirect contact with each other, but yet still co-operate or interactwith each other.

The breadth and scope of this disclosure should not be limited by any ofthe above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only inaccordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

1-20. (canceled)
 21. A computer-implemented method, comprising:displaying, by one or more processors, presentation content in a readermode in a cloud collaboration platform in response to a selection of areader link, wherein the reader mode is configured to display visualelements in the presentation content and an interface for navigating andcommenting in the reader mode; receiving a comment in the reader modevia the interface for navigating and commenting in the reader mode; anddisplaying the comment in the reader mode in association with aparticular element in the visual elements.
 22. The method of claim 21,further comprising: displaying the presentation content in an edit mode,wherein the edit mode is configured to display the visual elements inthe presentation content, slide-building tools, and the comment;receiving a second comment in the edit mode; associating the secondcomment with a second element in the visual elements; and displaying thesecond comment in the edit mode in association with the second element.23. The method of claim 21, further comprising: providing a linkcreation interface; receiving an edit-link-creation selection via thelink creation interface; in response to the edit-link-creationselection, creating an edit link to an edit mode; and initializing theedit mode upon reception of an engagement on the edit link.
 24. Themethod of claim 21, further comprising: providing a link creationinterface; receiving a reader-link-creation selection via the linkcreation interface; and in response to the reader-link-creationselection, creating the reader link to the reader mode.
 25. The methodof claim 21, further comprising: receiving a mention in the comment,wherein the mention references an account in the cloud collaborationplatform; determining a contact for the account; and notifying theaccount via the contact of the comment.
 26. The method of claim 21,further comprising: receiving an input in the reader mode via theinterface for navigating and commenting in the reader mode; and movingto a next slide in the presentation content based on the input.
 27. Themethod of claim 21, wherein the edit mode displays one or more commentsadded in the reader mode and one or more comments added in the editmode.
 28. A system, comprising: a memory; and at least one processorcoupled to the memory and configured to: display presentation content ina reader mode in a cloud collaboration platform in response to aselection of a reader link, wherein the reader mode is configured todisplay visual elements in the presentation content and an interface fornavigating and commenting in the reader mode; receive a comment in thereader mode via the interface for navigating and commenting in thereader mode; and display the comment in the reader mode in associationwith a particular element in the visual elements.
 29. The system ofclaim 28, the at least one processor configured to: display thepresentation content in an edit mode, wherein the edit mode isconfigured to display the visual elements in the presentation content,slide-building tools, and the comment; receive a second comment in theedit mode; and associate the second comment with a second element in thevisual elements; and display the second comment in the edit mode inassociation with the second element.
 30. The system of claim 28, the atleast one processor configured to: provide a link creation interface;receive an edit-link-creation selection via the link creation interface;in response to the edit-link-creation selection, create an edit link toan edit mode; and initialize the edit mode upon reception of anengagement on the edit link.
 31. The system of claim 28, the at leastone processor configured to: provide a link creation interface; receivea reader-link-creation selection via the link creation interface; and inresponse to the reader-link-creation selection, create the reader linkto the reader mode.
 32. The system of claim 28, the at least oneprocessor configured to: receive the comment on a feedback stickercomprising a user-generated poll in the presentation content; store thecomment in association with the feedback sticker; and display thecomment on the feedback sticker.
 33. The system of claim 28, the atleast one processor configured to: receive an input in the reader modevia the interface for navigating and commenting in the reader mode; andmove to a next slide in the presentation content based on the input. 34.The system of claim 28, wherein the edit mode displays one or morecomments added in the reader mode and one or more comments added in theedit mode.
 35. A non-transitory computer-readable device havinginstructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least onecomputing device, causes the at least one computing device to performoperations comprising: displaying presentation content in a reader modein a cloud collaboration platform in response to a selection of a readerlink, wherein the reader mode is configured to display visual elementsin the presentation content and an interface for navigating andcommenting in the reader mode; receiving a comment in the reader modevia the interface for navigating and commenting in the reader mode; anddisplaying the comment in the reader mode in association with aparticular element in the visual elements.
 36. The non-transitorycomputer-readable device of claim 35, the operations further comprising:displaying the presentation content in an edit mode, wherein the editmode is configured to display the visual elements in the presentationcontent, slide-building tools, and the comment; receiving a secondcomment in the edit mode; associating the second comment with a secondelement in the visual elements; and displaying the second comment in theedit mode in association with the second element.
 37. The non-transitorycomputer-readable device of claim 35, the operations further comprising:providing a link creation interface; receiving an edit-link-creationselection via the link creation interface; in response to theedit-link-creation selection, creating an edit link to an edit mode; andinitializing the edit mode upon reception of an engagement on the editlink.
 38. The non-transitory computer-readable device of claim 35, theoperations further comprising: providing a link creation interface;receiving a reader-link-creation selection via the link creationinterface; and in response to the reader-link-creation selection,creating the reader link to the reader mode.
 39. The non-transitorycomputer-readable device of claim 35, the operations further comprising:receiving the comment on a feedback sticker comprising a user-generatedpoll in the presentation content; storing the comment in associationwith the feedback sticker; and displaying the comment on the feedbacksticker.
 40. The non-transitory computer-readable device of claim 35,wherein the edit mode displays one or more comments added in the readermode and one or more comments added in the edit mode.